Eight Notes In a Scale
by HadenXCharm
Summary: Music was what brought them together, and what had kept them apart for eight long years. "Eight years older and we're at square one," Yumichika grinned, plinking away at the beautiful keys. "Good thing that I'm still beautiful." "Spare my heart," Ikkaku whispered, snickering lowly as he exhaled, hesitantly putting an arm around Yumichika's back.


Oneshot based loosely on Piano by Jean Echenoz

* * *

If only it had all happened eight years earlier. Then maybe, Ikkaku's poor heart could've been spared. Then maybe the journey to getting that gorgeous looking person would've been a little easier.

The story of Yumichika goes a little something like this – It was sad, sweet, and Ikkaku knew it complete, because he was the deutertagonist, or something like that.

It started back in his days at that college, something like eight years ago. Eight years and five months and sixteen days. Something like that. Exactly like that.

In his final years of piano classes, and possessing supernatural beauty, Yumichika wore clothes that were a little too large for him, and always told jokes that made him too charming for Ikkaku to even approach.

Ikkaku had been a fighter – he had been there at the college as a back-up plan, just in case his dreams didn't pan out. They had been at the time; If only he'd seen the torture it would later cause him.

But Yumichika. He often rode the bus, even though he had a car that was always filled with sheet music and canvas-boards. Yumichika was beautiful, and he loved to make beautiful things.

Every day, he emerged from his car and sat in the same café, at the same table, ordering the same food as he scribbled all over his notebooks with poetry and drawings and little tunes.

Ikkaku had been shy then, watching him speak with the same handsome individual who didn't appear to be his boyfriend.

Every day, Yumichika was there, and every day he grew even more beautiful. For that entire year, their senior year of college, Ikkaku had sat every day at the same time and the same café as Yumichika, but at a different table, neither too far away, or too near. He watched him, without ever daring to speak to him. 'Too good for me, too good for me, oh fuck, what could they be talking about,' he would wonder, every single day.

Only once had Ikkaku been brave enough to sit closer to him – a table right next to his. The entire time he jittered nervously, so unlike his normally courageous and rough self. He felt unworthy to even look at such a supernatural beauty, such a talent, such a pretty creature. It was disrespectful to even entertain the thought that Yumichika might give him a chance, so he tried to forget it, tried to forget it all.

The rush of adrenaline was so powerful that Ikkaku was almost unable to move when he was asked for a few napkins. He handed them over, and then continued to look at him as Yumichika looked elsewhere.

Then when the summer came, Yumichika left town. Ikkaku went to have a drink at the same café, where only a few lingering students remained, and also that man that Yumichika was always talking to, with whom Ikkaku struck up a conversation.

It didn't take long for the talk to turn to Yumichika. Ikkaku soon learned that it was about him that they talked about. It was Ikkaku himself that they talked about, Yumichika going on about him nonstop to the point where the man told him to talk about something else for a change, It turned out that Yumichika hadn't dared approach Ikkaku, just as Ikkaku didn't dare approach Yumichika. Worse still, the only reason Yumichika came to the café at all was to hope to see Ikkaku there.

At this news, Ikkaku remained frozen, suddenly overcome with a desire to weep.

'Where is he now?' he had begged the man, 'How can I find him, where can he be reached?'

But no, Yumichika was gone now, he was studying abroad, and had moved to God knows where. Since then, Ikkaku had spent seven years hoping to run into him by chance. Seven long years – so much had happened to him, so much had changed. He'd come upon a life-altering injury.

Apparantly, mental disorders can lie dormant for your whole life, just waiting for a head injury to come wake them up. He had suffered such a blow in a match, splattering his blood so wide that it needed a warning label – such a horrible sickening _crack_ on the pavement, that the sound still haunted him.

And now, now he couldn't fight anymore – he was too worked up to do it. He wouldn't sleep for weeks beforehand, and would vomit frequently as the date would approach. He had a social anxiety problem now, and even teaching kendo classes to children was too much. He even dreaded leaving his home from time to time.

All that his state allowed, was for him to work as a sole cashier in a tiny music store that hardly anyone ever came inside of.

And at the start of that eigth year, who should come into the store, but his angel.

After those years, Yumichika could have been living on the other side of the world, or maybe even dead. But it just so happened that Yumichika came into the music store every day, and looked around the different pianos, touching the polished wood and plucking the strings from the open tops. And then he would sit down, and play on one particularly beautiful ebony one.

His songs were beautifully sad, perfectly executed - and Ikkaku would sometimes hear one that he recognized. He loved to listen to the music, and he loved to watch Yumichika's graceful fingers dance on the keys.

Over the months, he would come in with a man whose hair color varied from time to time: electric pink, deep dark red, bright yellow, even peppermint swirl. Yumichika would sit there and take the man's hands and put them on the keys and play his beautiful, sad melodies – the ones that sounded like tinkling glass.

Even knowing how Yumichika had felt all those years ago, now Ikkaku was far too shy, far too frightened to even wave at him and say hello. Besides that, this man was obviously Yumichika's new lover. It was far too late. Far too late.

Far too good for him.

He would lie awake at night and think about his missed chance – he would tell his psychiatrist about it and take Xanax in the morning before Yumichika arrived in the store. He didn't want to miss his chance again.

So that day he waited, all day waiting and building his courage to say something when Yumichika came in. Before he could work up the nerve, Yumichika approached him at the counter, asking him a question.

'Did you used to go to so and so college in so and so year?' said the pretty thing. Ikkaku stared at him, face going red, mouth opening and closing uselessly. He bit his lip and turned around, knuckles on his mouth.

"Are you alright?" Ikkaku made a stuttering noise, but nodded, not turning around. "I… I'm sorry if I…" Yumichika let out a breath, and Ikkaku forced himself to get a handle on things before Yumichika just decided to leave.

"Yes, we graduated together," Ikkaku whispered in a raspy voice.

"I always wanted to talk to you, but I guess I never was brave enough to say anything," Yumichika said with a little laugh, "It's nice to finally meet you... and hear your voice," and he held out his beautiful, graceful hand which had charmed him with music for nearly a decade. Ikkaku was sure his face looked absolutely stricken as he hesitantly took Yumichika's soft fingers. 'Lucky, lucky, lucky, you have another chance.'

He stuttered a little, heart pounding and vision blackening. Oh god, what was wrong with him? Why did things have to be like this? Why couldn't this have happened eight years ago, before he'd broken his own brain? "I… I'm… Hhh," he breathed shakily, "Nice to meet you," he forced out, swallowing down bile.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good… Ah!" Yumichika held up a finger and opened his bag, pulling out a box of child's band-aids. "Point where it hurts," Yumichika said, while giggling. Ikkaku gave a shaky smile and pointed at the side of his head, leaning down a little so Yumichika could put the sticker on his temple.

"Feel better?" Ikkaku nodded, cheeks still red, hands fidgeting uselessly. "I watched your fights, you know. For a long time I did. Why did you stop," he asked curiously, with a sad frown.

"I… I got in an accident…" Ikkaku tried to explain, unable to meet Yumichika's eyes, just staring at the middle of his shirt. "I… have a… an anxiety disorder now... and I can't really… even function... like an adult," he got out slowly, choking on his own tongue, "-frustrating," he ended. Yumichika nodded in understanding.

"I watch your... concerts too... You... you write amazing..." Ikkaku clutched at the countertop, "great music... I wish I could go in person... but everything... is a struggle now,"

"That must be so hard to live with," Yumichika said, sharing his dismay as he touched his hand in comfort.

Ikkaku jumped a little at the touch, covering his face with his other hand, "I'm sorry. You must think I'm a complete dork, sounding like this." Strangely that sentence came out without any trouble. Ikkaku liked Yumichika's presence very much.

"A cute dork," Yumichika said with a smile, "Don't be scared of me." Ikkaku nodded but did not remove his hand, only opening his fingers a little to peek at Yumichika. "I really wish I had talked to you years ago. I think we would've been good friends, don't you think?" Yumichika said, sounding a little nervous himself.

Ikkaku nodded, exhaling, trying to force his nerves to relax - it was getting easier. He had watched Yumichika for so long, after all. It was almost like they were old friends. "You… You're really beautiful," he whispered, not looking at Yumichika. He scowled, growling a little at his shyness.

"Aww," Yumichika said, sounding touched, with his brow pinched. "Thank you." He looked around the store, which was long empty. It was not uncommon for Yumichika to be the only customer he saw all day long. Ikkaku twitched a little when Yumichika took his hand and pulled him around the counter. "C'mon, come over here." He led him over to the piano he always sat at.

"C'mere, come sit next to me, don't be shy," Yumichika said soothingly, pulling him to the bench. Ikkaku sat there stiffly, hardly even daring to breathe, lest he wake up from this wonderful dream. "You know, when we were in college, I had such a crush on you," Yumichika smiled. Ikkaku stared at him for a moment, blushing deeper.

"I… Me too... But I was too…" Ikkaku made a motion with his hands, "chicken ta' even talk to you. This... problem I have now... doesn't even compare, ta' how I was then."

"You're very shy of me?"

"Very... yeah, look at my hand," Ikkaku held up one of his big hands, hands that had used to fight so well, strong, brave hands - they were trembling like leaves. "I even took a bunch of anti-anxiety meds, but I'm still jittering like crazy."

"Wow... you got a whole sentence out just then. I think you have a chance to get better." Yumichika looked at him with a smile, and Ikkaku just stared back in shock, before starting to smile too.

"Eight years older and we're at square one," Yumichika grinned, plinking away at the beautiful keys. "Good thing that I'm still beautiful."

"Spare my heart," Ikkaku whispered, snickering lowly as he exhaled, hesitantly putting an arm around Yumichika's back.

Yumichika's answering laughter sounded like music.


End file.
